Apple’s decision to replace PowerPC chips with processors from Intel may have long-term benefits for both the company and its customers. But the processor switch could potentially hurt near-term hardware sales, if the attitudes of those surveyed in the Macworld Reader Panel are any indication of what Mac users are thinking.

Asked how Apple’s decision to change chip suppliers could affect their decision to buy a new Mac in the next 12 months, a third of the 414 panelists surveyed by market-research firm Karlin Associates said they would be less likely to make that purchase.

Update: Reader Rick Roberts e-mailed to say he has tried iTunes 4.9 and likes what he sees.

The Podcast feature is pretty cool, I think it’s better than iPodderX. The store interface is limited, but you can add whatever feed you want from the new Podcast list. Add feeds under “Advanced”.

You’ll need the new iPod updater that came out today, to feed your iPod.

It looks like some podcasters may have taken down their feeds to keep from getting hit by a surge of downloads. Podcasters that pay for their own bandwidth may find themselves with a very expensive hobby.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, but I just found out today that there’s a program (which has been around since December) that you can use to hack the iPod firmware and change the fonts and icons. Check out this customized screen (via Engadget). Too bad my 4G is only black and white.

It seems like such a simple thing to do for a future iTunes release. We can customize our desktop’s backgrounds, icons, and fonts so why not allow us to change the iPod screen?